Sort verifier for punched cards



y 1953 L. P. MARTIN 2,645,152

SORT VERIFIER FOR PUNCHED CARDS I Filed July 22, 1950 LE0 BUR/CK MART/N INVENTOR.

I" I Iv I ATTORNEY Patented July 14, 1953 Leo Patrick Martin, Decatur, 111.

Application July 22, 1950, Serial No. 175,335

My present invention relates to an improved device for use with punched card sorting machines of a variety of classes but characterized generally as having means for presenting information as a result of their operation, such for example, as the sorting of punched cards into various decks representing different classes.

In general, my invention may be termed a sort vertifier for punched cards, and itprovides improved means for verifying the accuracy. of each sorting in a deck of punched cards operation, enabling the arrangement of each deck of cards in a uniformly even and true deck for immediate replacement in the sorting machine for each successive sorting.

While I am aware that certain other types of card verifying machines have been provided for some types of card sorting, still my invention contrives by wholly inexpensive, practical and satisfactory means to accomplish the ready and accurate sorting of relatively large decks of punched cards in anovel manner and by means not heretofore practised. L

In the usual practice wherein it is required that whole decks of cards must be verified at one time,

it follows in some cases that the stacked sorted cards are removed from the several individual sorting pockets of the sorting machine and then evened up by butting the deck against certain stop provision on the machine, after which thedeck is raised in the hand of the operator and held up to a light so that the sort may be verified by sighting through the punched holes in the stacked cards, which, if the cards are sorted correctly, should be in perfect register throughout the deck.

If, by such procedure a hole is observed to be dark, that is-, blocked due to wrongly punched. or incorrectly sorted cards, the cards are then all examined until the interfering card is found and removed. That the deck may become disarranged while in the hand of the operator is obvious, and it will be readily understood that in such a case it frequently occurs that verification is faulty,

thus causing a considerable waste of time and:

labor. The matter of operator fatigue presents a serious problem in such cases, and one which frequently induces carelessness, and at times results in the operato'rs acceptance of the issue from the sorting machine without verification. Errors invariably resulting from these conditions are not only inconvenient but extremely costly.

Then too, verification by means of the conventional sort verifying needle is at times effected by inserting such needle through the holes inthe card deck, and if the needle passes easily and entirely through the aligned holes, the sort may be accepted as correct. If, however, the needle y from a sort-; ing machine, with a minimum of effort'by the operator, yet with a maximum of accuracy in the fied, which must therefore be discarded. The

2 Claims. (Cl. 88-44) cannot be inserted through the deck, it is then known that either the sort or the punching is faulty.

Although this procedure may hold certain limi ited advantages, it does, nevertheless, result in' damaged and torn holes in the cards being verifatigue element, here too, assumes serious proportions, with subsequent loss of time and money,

The substantial advantages and practical adaptability resident in my improved device for the purpose intended, will appear in the description and in the accompanying drawings,

which- Figure 1 is a plan view looking into the casement and showing a fragment of .the window member removed.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the casement.

Figure 3 is an end view, the upper part being in elevation and the lower part in section taken on or about the line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing a.

deck of cards in position for verification.

Figure 4 is a perspective view, the window member removed and showing the rest members and the clip members for engagement with the window member.

Figure 5 is a perspective view in reduced scale, showing the window member, and,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of a punched card of conventional type, showing a typical arrangement of punched holes therein.

A clear example of the practical operation of my improved sort verifier for punched cards may be had from reference to the drawings in detail, referring first to Figures 1, 2 and 3, in'which the casement is designated generally by the numeral l0 comprised of the back plate II, the end plate 12, the end plate [3, the front plate I4 and the bottom plate [5. Integrally formed from the upper edge of the back plate ll is the downwardly depending positioning plate I la. The brace member I6 is fixed to the positioning plate Ila as at A, and to the back plate II as at B to insure the normal operating position of my invention as shown particularly in the Fig. 3 in which the brokenline X designates the working surface of the top of 'a sorting machine on which is fixed a mould ridge member X adapted to removably engage the inverted channel-like member I! fixedly mounted on the bottom plate. [5 to prevent the device from moving about while in use.

On the inner face of the end plate I3 is suitably mounted the electric socket element I8 by conventional nut and bolt means as at N, the incandescent lamp element [9 being threadably engaged in said socket element l8.

An electric switch element 20 is suitably mounted in the front plate I4, and standard electric insulated wire connections designated generally as at W provide electric power communication between said socket l8, lamp I9, switch and electric wire connections W to effect the interior illumination of the casement I 0 in order to direct light through the transparent window plate 2! and thence through the holes in aligned position in the deck of punched cards which is designated by the numeral 22 for the purpose of sort verification.

The punched card shown in the Fig. 6 illustrates one example of the usual punched hole arrangement in such cards, and it will be understood that all the cards in the deck which is shown as an example by the numeral 22, having been sorted by a sorting machine, have identically registered punched holes, except of course, in the event that an incorrectly punched or sorted card is in the deck.

The transparent window plate member 2|, it will be noted, is provided with finger space as at 2! which space is in register with a like finger space as at M in the front plate 14 of the casement ID to enable insertion of the fingers of the operator for contact with the under face of the deck, while his thumb contacts the upper face thereof in order to position the deck in the device, or, to remove the deck therefrom as the case may be.

The window plate member 21 is adapted to rest upon the inturned rest members 23 and 24* formed from the back plate H and the front plate [4 respectively, and to be held thereagainst by the clip members 25 and 26 also formed from plates II and M respectively. Vent openings 26a are i provided in the end plates i2 and I3-to remove undue heat from the lamp element !9.

A relatively narrow butt plate 21 is formed from one end of the back plate II and integrally connects with the end plate I2 to provide means for evening up the deck so that allsides thereof are perfectly true, thereby effecting the-perfect alignment of the punched holes in each card with those of the other cards in the deck.

In actual application of my improved device in verifying sorted decks of punched cards, and by way of setting forth the manner of handling each deck, the operator removes the deck from the sort pocket of the sorting machine and places it upon the transparent window member 2i; one longitudinal face of the deck resting against the back plate H, and a portion ofone lateralface of the deck abutting said butt plate 21', the deck being set thereagainst by the hand of the operator. When the deck is in this position the operator presses the switch button20' of the switch 20 which effects the illumination of the lamp element 19 which enables the operator to quickly and easily sight through the said aligned punched holes in the cards comprising the deck. The illumination from the lamp element ceases when the operator releases his finger contact on the button 20, and thus the eyes of the operator are not exposed to the bright light from said lamp when no deck is in position on the device.

The structure and arrangement of parts together with the co-operative adaptation thereof to the purpose herein set forth and illustrated in the drawings is to be understood as non-limiting, as modification and change may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sort verifier for punched cards, comprising casement means for mounting an illuminable element, back plate means extending above the casement means for supportedly and evenly engaging one face of a deck of punched cards for sort verification, upwardly inclining butt plate means integral with and extending above one side end of said back plate means for truing up said deck of cards, means on said back plate means for pcsitioning and bracing said casement means in use, transparent window means mounted on said casement means for supporting co-operatively with the said back plate means the said deck of cards for sort verification, finger room provided and conjointly arranged in said casement means and window means to facilitate handling the card deck into and out of the device, illuminable means within said casement means for directing light against the card deck and through the punched and alignedly positioned holes in said deck, means on said casement means for removable engagement with a holding element on a card sorting machine, and vent provision in said casement means.

2. A sort verifier for punched cards, comprising casement means for mounting an electrically illuminable element, back plate means extending above but integral with the casement means for supportedly and evenly engaging a deck of punched cards for sort verification, relatively narrow upwardly inclining butt plate means formed from one side end of said back plate means for truing up said deck of cards, positioning means formed from the upper edge of said back plate means for positioning the device in actual use, a brace member fixed between said back plate means and said positioning means for bracing the same, transparent window means engaged by and on said casement means for supporting co-operatively with said back plate means the said deck of cards for sort verification, finger room notches provided in said casement means and in said window means, said notches being positioned in registered relation to each other to facilitate handling a deck of sorted cards into and out of the device, electrically illuminable means mounted in said casement means, on-and-off switch means mounted in said casement means for controlling the illuminable means with respect to the length of time during which the light therefrom is either on or off, said illuminable means positioned to direct light therefrom against the card deck and through the punched and alignedly positioned holes in said deck, substantially inverted U-shaped channel means integrally mounted on the under face of said casement means and adapted for removably engaging a holding element forming a part of a card sorting machine, and vent openings adjacent the upper periphery of said casement means for egress of surplus heat from the illuminable element in use.

LEO PATRICK MARTIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,230,102 Bottum June 19, 1917 2,012,551 Steen Aug. 27, 1935 2,104,079 Kahn Jan. 4, 1938 2,276,121 Thorn et a1 Mar. 10, 1942 2,457,914 Nemeth Jan. 4, 1949 

